At-Home Treatments Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

How to keep active in the Winter or Cold Weather

December 6, 2016 by elisha

Winter is not everyone’s favorite season. There are many different winter sports that one can partake in outside, but this is not always everyone’s cup of tea. This article will not include the various sports that you can partake in outside, but rather activities that you can do to keep active if you are not a fan of the season.

Walks: Walking outside can pose a challenge for some, but may provide the necessary activity needed to stay healthy. Always make sure to bundle up with a warm jacket, boots with traction, scarf, hat, mittens, and long johns (or janes). I find that my biggest motivation is walking my dog, and I tell myself it is good for both of us when I am feeling “too cold” for a walk. Self – talk is especially important here. Another option for walking is to go to a mall and do some laps around the mall to get your heart rate elevated. If you feel like the stores may be too much of a temptation, make sure to avoid bringing your wallet and just focus on the element of exercise.
Dancing: With the holidays on the way, it may be easy to dance around the house to your favorite tunes, or get up on the dance floor at a Christmas party. As long as you get moving and get your heart rate going this is what matters.
Stairs: If you really want to increase your heart rate, running or walking up and down the stairs repeatedly can be a good and tiring exercise to incorporate into your day.
Weights: Weight training is not just for people who want to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger. When you do weight training/resistance training, it actually puts your body into a fat loss state. This alone can help you to get that physique you may be wanting. Weights do not need to be done in a gym with all of the state of the art gym equipment, but can even be done by grabbing a can of soup and going through some basic exercises such as the classic bicep curl. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere, and it is never too late to start.
Work – out videos: Work out videos provide a great way to get some cardio in and in some cases have a little bit of fun without feeling like you are exercising. A word of caution is to use a video that is at “your level of fitness”. For example, videos such as P90X or Insanity are not appropriate for everyone and you should speak to your health care provider before starting a “work-out routine”.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

Health Benefits of Pet Ownership

October 11, 2016 by elisha

Some people choose to have pets for companionship and/or for work related purposes, while others choose to not have any at all. Many debate whether the stress of owning a pet is really worth all of the extra effort. The answer to this question is really dependent on the individual, but I will choose to focus on the potential positive outcomes that may come from owning a pet. Just because there are positive health benefits to owning a pet does not mean that just anyone should go out and get a dog/cat/fish/lizard/etc. Owning a pet requires commitment, patience, budgeting, and so much more. Also worth mentioning is that much of the research conferring that pets offer health benefits is based off of owning a cat or a dog. This does not mean that there are not any health benefits to owning fish, lizards, or other pets; but there may be different health benefits than those listed below. For example, there has been quite a bit of research behind fish tanks and how having one can actually decrease stress, promote relaxation and even decrease behavioural distress in children.

Owning a cat/dog can decrease:

Blood pressure by being in the same room as a pet or even just petting them
Cholesterol through even just petting your pet
Triglycerides
Feelings of loneliness
Risk of developing allergies in children by 33% but this is dependent on age and research is a bit mixed.
Stress
Depression
Risk of being or becoming obese (if you walk your dog and do not leave it to someone else)
Anxiety or behavioural distress in children
Doctor’s visits
Sick days

Owning a cat/dog can increase

Socialization
Chances for activity
Immune system strength
Recovery post – cardiovascular event
Empathy in children without siblings
Self – esteem in children without siblings
Participation in social and physical activities in children without siblings

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

References:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health-benefits/

http://center4research.org/healthy-living-prevention/pets-and-health-the-impact-of-companion-animals/

http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/benefits-of-pets/

Lifestyle Tips to Deal with GERD/ Heartburn

August 16, 2016 by elisha

Gastro esophageal reflux disorder (GERD) or acid reflux can be caused by multiple mechanisms. For some individuals, there is too much acid in the stomach, for others there is not enough. In some cases, an individual may be eating too much. Further, for some people, they can be eating a food that they are sensitive to – this can be determined with the help of a Naturopathic Doctor. Whatever the cause is for you, it can be quite uncomfortable. Some individuals might experience such symptoms as indigestion, burning throat, chest pain, chronic cough, difficulty with sleep and much more. Some lifestyle changes can help to address some of the discomfort and may even reverse the symptoms, but this is not always the case.

Have more frequent smaller meals

Having smaller meals can decrease the burden on our digestive tract when it comes to processing our food and creating stomach acid.

Do not lay down after eating

Laying down after eating can cause the acid to very easily ascend the esophagus leading to “heart burn” type feeling. By postponing laying down for several hours, this can help to prevent the discomfort. Therefore, it is also not beneficial to eat near bed time for this reason.

Chew gum after a meal or have a digestive tea

Both of these techniques can aid with the processing and digesting of food, thereby decreasing the burden on the system. In part, this is due to both moving acid down into the stomach. In addition, tea can help to relax the gastrointestional tract and increase peristalsis (movement) in the intestines. Examples of digestive teas include chamomile, peppermint, and ginger teas.

Slow down meals

In our society, we are always on the go and looking for convenience. This is where we have failed our bodies. We were not meant to be stressed and eating. Stress slows digestion and diverts blood away from the digestive tract, leading to more difficulties with processing food, resulting in indigestion. By taking time for your meal – for example smelling your food and chewing more – it may help your body to process your food more efficiently leading to less GERD or acid reflux.

Avoid tight clothing

This suggestion might sound strange, but tight clothing including belts can increase the amount of pressure in the abdominal area which can contribute to acid reflux. With this being said, it is important to consider the effect of excess weight around the stomach area and contribution it can have to increasing pressure in the abdomen. Losing weight is a touchy subject but is worth considering. If this applies to you, seek some medical input by contacting a health care provider such as myself.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

5 Health Benefits of Green Tea

August 2, 2016 by elisha

Green tea is a very common beverage in our society, and one that has been purported as a very beneficial addition to one’s diet. However, many individuals do not know the full extent to which green tea can help, and how many cups are necessary to achieve these benefits. Please note that this article is based off of a research article that can be found at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Craig_Schneider2/publication/24309791_Green_tea_potential_health_benefits/links/0a85e52f2986fdb4bf000000.pdf

5 Health Benefits of Green Tea

Reduces risk of Cancer

Tea overall can be beneficial for cancer prevention, but in particular, green tea can be beneficial for treating and preventing breast and colorectal cancer risk. In particular, for breast cancer, three or more cups of tea per day was enough to see the benefits. It was noted that the green tea consumption resulted in a 20% reduction in risk of breast cancer. However, with colorectal cancer, five to ten cups of tea were sufficient enough to reduce the risk of this cancer. In particular, green tea consumption resulted in an 18% reduction in risk of colorectal cancer. Other cancers that green tea consumption may reduce the risk of include stomach, esophageal, and prostate.

Aids with treatment of genital warts

In regards to genital warts, green tea was shown to be effective for the treatment through a topical application of the tea.

Aids with weight loss

When trying to lose weight, green tea may help to decrease body weight, body mass index, body fat ratio, body fat mass, and waist and hip circumference. In addition, if an individual discontinues their diet and lifestyle changes in regards to weight loss, those who drink green tea will gain back less weight than those not consuming green tea. These results were found with just one cup of green tea per day!

Reduces cholesterol levels

Green tea can have an impressive effect on LDL cholesterol (i.e. bad cholesterol). When compared to placebo, green tea was able to reduce LDL cholesterol by 16%. This effect was noticed with two cups of green tea per day.

Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease

Aside from the effect on cholesterol, green tea has been shown in research to decrease the risk of not only cardiovascular disease but also stroke. Individuals who consumed five or more cups of tea per day experienced a reduction in risk of stroke.

Can anyone just drink green tea?

As with anything, it is important to know the risks of anything you are consuming. With that being said, green tea may not be for everyone. For example, green tea may decrease absorption of iron or folic acid when consumed with a meal. Therefore, it may not be well suited for anemic individuals or those who are pregnant. In addition, green tea may have a blood thinning effect, and so should not be consumed with blood thinning medication or two weeks prior to surgery. In some individuals, green tea can also cause an upset stomach and nervous system stimulation due to the caffeine content in it.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.